Rafael Nadal wants sport to be drug free
World number five, Rafael Nadal, has made a return to the tennis circuit with a bang; winning the first three matches with little problem and in straight sets. However, the pain was inevitable and he accepted the fact that he is
not fully fit but good enough to continue the sport at the time being. He expects to be fully fit by the start of the clay court season.
He was questioned about the issue of drug testing and the blunt reply from the 26-year-old Spaniard was not a surprise. He has been accused of using drugs to boost his stamina and that has dismantled the mental comfort of Nadal.
Nadal stated in an interview, “Not everyone has to pay for some sinners. If I go through a lot or very few doping controls people should know. Though I went for seven months without competing, I went through a lot of tests. I don't
have to justify anything. This information should be open the public.”
He added, “The important thing is that those who are cheating pay for their cheating. With Armstrong the image of sport has been damaged, especially in the case of cycling. The important thing is for sport to clean up its image;
that the controls are made public.”
There is no doubt that the Spaniard is absolutely right, especially after witnessing the case of Lance Armstrong who publicly accepted that he used drugs to boost his stamina and won all the championships because of that. It is
very sad to know that a player of his calibre can be indulged in such activities but now that it is unleashed and self-proclaimed by the player, Nadal wants the system to be crystal clear to make sure that no other player has any added advantage that is caused
by the use of drugs.
Nadal, the 11-time Grand Slam Champion, didn’t play official tennis for almost eight months. Since, the second round exit at the Wimbledon Championships, the Spaniard was out of action; missed two Grand Slams including the US Open
2012 and the Australian Open 2013. He injured his left knee that caused the major injury layoff but now he is back and that’s good for tennis.
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